The roar of the beast
by migaDbr
Summary: Shinichi Handa, Raimon's midfielder, with the firm intention to be more useful to the team and help both in the forward and in the defence, starts developing a brand-new hissatsu.
1. Training

_**Hellohellohellohello! :D**_

_**What I'm bringing you today is another one of my paranoias. And I'll tell you all the truth: for some reason I'm not too pleased with this first chapter. It looks weird, I don't even know why. Maybe it's because I'm having tough days lately and I have forgotten how to express myself, or it might be just a lack of literary inspiration. Not because of a lack of ideas, but because of a lack of ability to express them. Or it might only be my imagination. I'm not sure.**_

_**And before finishing off, the disclaimer! I do not own Inazuma Eleven or any of its characters, I simply love writing about them and staining my favorite shotas by linking these crappy stories to them.**_

_**I hope you'll enjoy this first chapter! ^^**_

* * *

He threw the ball up and jumped with a lot of strength —it was clear that, in spite of how hard getting up that early was, the morning trainings were bearing fruit. He spun, turned on himself and revolved in the air. And at the same time as he kicked the sphere, he shouted with enthusiasm:

"Shin… Rolling Kick!"

The ball shot out in diagonal towards the goal. There, the goalkeeper was waiting, ready to face up to the shot with his incendiary fist.

"Shin… Nekketsu Punch!"

The burning flames that came from the goalkeeper's hands couldn't face up to the power of the shot, and the Cerberus fell down to the floor, defeated as he watched impotent how the ball entered the goal. Nevertheless, he wasn't sad; on the contrary, a great smile outlined on his face as he raised a thumb to the attacker, as a sign of approval.

"Great, Shin-shin! You have improved a lot in a very short time!"

_'Yeah, improved…'_ "A-ah, thanks, capt'n…!" The inventor of the fierce shot thought and stuttered.

His captain could say what he liked: the ideas Shinichi Handa had about his talent for shooting wouldn't change no matter how much he would get praised. Not now, at least.

"You are very commendable, you know?" Endou had stood up and got closer to Handa while the midfielder was lost in his own thoughts. "It's incredible that you created a hissatsu on your own so quickly! Most of the mine are either grandpa's or based on the others'…! And look at you: you and your own techniques! You could tell you are one of the first members of Raimon!

Indeed, in their day, Endou, Handa and Someoka had been the only members of the soccer club that would subsequently be crowned as the best team of Japan. And, of course, two of its first members had reached the very top: Saviors of the human kind! World champions! The kind of things one can proudly tell to their grandchildren. But Handa, unfortunately, had only got halfway.

Shinichi sighed at the idea.

"Capt'n, it isn't that much of a big deal… Also, however much my Rolling Kick has improved, it's still the weakest shot of the team, and everyone confers the worth of my Freeze Shot to that bloody Italian guy…!" The midfielder snorted, crossed. For a fairly powerful technique he had, no one would even recognize it as his. Handa was what in the modern society is known as scapegoat or, simply, a battered guy. "Also," He added, "my Cyclone was taken from Teikoku, and Zigzag Spark was a hissatsu created by your grandpa… And even if I can use Ryuusei Blade and Odin Sword, they aren't even half as strong as Hiroto-san's and Fideo-san's…"

He was right. He had asked Hiroto to teach him his technique as soon as he had the chance, since he thought it would help Raimon when the former extraterrestrial wouldn't be with them anymore. On the other hand, Fideo and him had got on so well that Fideo offered to teach him his ace hissatsu to lend him a hand to become a better player and, who knows, maybe even inspire him to create his own technique.

Even though, his lack of experience with the shots and the fact of not being able to get easily adapted to other people's shots lessened the might of the awesome shots considerably. So, in the end, most of his techniques were copied, and his own were either too weak to be useful or they wouldn't even recognize them as his.

But, of course, Endou soon saw an easy solution and, from his point of view, very easy to put in practice.

"Create a brand-new hissatsu from scratch!"

How joyfully and nonchalantly the young goalkeeper used to always take it all.

"T-that's not as easily done as said, capt'n…!" Shinichi retorted. "I've only created the Rolling Kick by now, and it's very simple…! I couldn't create something as advanced as your Ijigen The Hand…"

"Listen to me, Shin-shin," The captain said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder and the other one on his chest as he stared at him. "You don't need to create a technique like mine. First of all, because I'm a goalkeeper and you are a midfielder. Also, you have your own soccer, and your hissatsu must take out the best that there's in you! If you try to do it like me, you will never obtain anything you can call yours. Trust yourself, look inside of your heart and bring up the strength that is inside you!"

"C-capt'n…" Shinichi spluttered. His whole body was shaking, both because of the emotion that the goalkeeper's words had caused to rise inside him and because of the excitement that arose in him when coming up with such a big personal challenge.

"And, of course, I will help you! From now on, we will be having special trainings everyday!"

_'Oh, dear God…'_

* * *

Kuusuke Matsuno and Shinichi Handa were focused on the Pokémon battle they were fighting in their respective consoles. As they struggled, Handa mentioned his chat with Endou.

"Guess what, Max-kun…! Capt'n wants me to create a new shot hissatsu."

Handa's Raichu knocked out Max's Gyarados with a well-aimed Thunder.

"What? You, a shot hissatsu? Don't make me laugh~" Max said teasingly as he hurled a Nidoking out to the battlefield. "You are a midfielder and you can't even shoot. Leave the shooting thing to forwards, Han~ da~ kun~"

'Luckily' for Shinichi, Max was having one of his dumb days.

"…Said someone who was a forward just out of necessity. They quite hurried up to 'relegate' you to the midfield as soon as Shadow-kun came…" Handa answered, upset by his friend's comment and trying to be, at least, as wounding as the Earthquake attack the foe Nidoking had just used, which had finished his dear Raichu off.

And he managed to do so.

"At least I do have a strong shot," Max asserted.

"And at least I do have my own shot. And I don't think Spiral Shot can either be considered 'strong' or…"

Generally it was Matsuno who would always manage to slag Handa off with his sarcastic comments, but that day, good old Shinichi was way more inspired than usual. By a stroke of luck, they were friends enough to finish the argument off and let their actions settle the subject.

It was not usual, but this time Handa was the winner. But, clearly, Handa wasn't the same as always that day.

"So your own shot, huh~?" Max repeated once the combat was over. "Well, if you're that convinced, go ahead. But it's not like you could remove Gouenji, Shadow or Someoka from their post just with it~"

"I don't wanna be a forward, Max-kun. I simply wanna be an useful midfielder in more than one sense…"

"But being so aggressive doesn't match with you at aaall, Handa-kuuun~ You are rather like… like a panda. Fairly calm and not much of a man of action. I can't imagine you attracting everyone's gazes in a stadium thanks to a goal, actually~"

"A panda…? Hey, but not all of the pandas are like that! Haven't you watched Ranma ½ or what…? There's no way of saying Genma was precisely kind-hearted…"

Shinichi grimaced, but soon a little light bulb lit in his head. If truth be known, Max had given him a great idea. If he looked so much like a panda, he would take out the panda inside of him and he would show its fangs to the world. He would bring it into the world the same way a midwife brings children into the world: it would require effort, but there's no progress without sacrifice.

But of course, he would need help; it isn't easy at all to create a hissatsu, and even less when your knowledge about them is as limited as his.

To unleash the beast inside of him, he would need help. And the first step was clear: show the beast he was deserving of its strength and was ready to benefit the most from the strength it could offer him.

A strength that, back then, was already roaring inside of him.

* * *

_**That's enough by now. Let's revise the trial record: Handa, depressed because he thinks he isn't useful enough, decides to start designing a shot hissatsu from scratch and make it totally personal, even If Max doesn't seem to share his friend's determination.**_

_**What kind of hissatsu is Handa thinking of? Exactly what kind of help does he need? Does anyone here even know Ranma's panda bear? All of this, and maybe even some more, in the next chapters!**_


	2. Teikoku

_**Good heavens, I took so long writing this chapter! And thank goodness I haven't had any setback this time as it had been happening lately. Well, it's all the same…**_

_**Welcome to the second chapter of this adventure in pursuit of acquiring new abilities! Shinichi welcomes you all once more to "The roar of the beast". I have decided to approach the story in a slightly more humoristic way this time (I'm the curtest person you'll ever meet so it'll be hard to notice), but without losing the sight of the final objective. I think I have waffled excessively —like always cough cough**__**—, but ideas come to me as I write and I end up regretting it if I don't write them down.**_

_**Also, let me add that, even if I have re-written this chapter in Spanish, I decided to translate the original version instead of the new one, so you can take a look at how it first looked. I wouldn't want to show the better (yet not good) version of it in English before it is released in Spanish! I'm sorry; Miga-senpai is a total nerd.**_

_**Anyway: in this chapter you'll see how Handa is dragged to Teikoku to practice, with the consistent appearance of some of my favorite characters. Have I ever mentioned I love Fudou? He's a potential troll, what I look forward to being someday (LOL)**_

_**Finally, let me thank my friend Yvonne for checking this creepy (or should I say 'crappy' instead?) thing out and making sure everything sounds as good as possible. There's no much she can do when the raw material's this bad, but at least it's a nicely presented rotten dish.**_

_**With nothing else **__**to tell (because I'm out of strength) I refer you to the chapter. Enjoy it!**_

* * *

He whistled and, at once, a squad made up of five violet penguins emerged from the ground, which followed and surrounded the trio as it rose in the air. They created a dimensional space that held the ball inside of it and injected potency to it; a clear influence of Teikoku's game and its Death Zone. They all spun around the soccer ball to, eventually, hit it by a heel kick at the cry of 'Koutei Penguin San Gou, G3'. The penguins took care of correcting the trajectory of the shot, sending it towards the goalpost.

The goalkeeper gathered energy in his fist, the same way he had gathered it around his heart so many times in the past. He propelled himself upwards, and the hair-rising figure of a demon appeared behind him, ready to help him hammer on the ball with wrath from above as he exclaimed 'Ikari no Tetsui, V2'.

It was a fierce battle but, finally, the ultimate penguins beat the improvement of Daisuke Endou's master technique. The keeper, even though he was beaten, was panting happily.

"Guys, that was amazing! You become stronger and stronger each day!"

Jirou Sakuma, forward for Inazuma Japan, celebrated the goal enthusiastically.

Yuuto Kidou, midfielder and strategist, smirked a faint smile.

Akio Fudou, joker player, limited himself to folding his arms and clicking his tongue, giving to understand that what his captain had just said was not news at all.

* * *

It wouldn't matter how many times he saw it: the strength of the shot would always impress young Shinichi Handa, midfielder for Raimon who, unfortunately, hadn't been selected to play the FFI.

"So what, Shin-shin? Does this environment inspire you?" Mamoru Endou asked the newcomer.

"You obviously are in another league, capt'n…" Handa answered, still amazed.

"The world was a tough rival," Kidou added, also a former teammate of the guest. "By the way, what was that you needed from me, Handa?"

"Ah, yeah, right, I almost forgot…!"

Shinichi had gone to Inazuma Japan's training session for a very clear reason. Forced… or by Endou's 'suggestion', he had 'decided' to go and ask Kidou for help to develop his new hissatsu.

"Do you think we could talk about it in private…? It's not like I don't want you to find out, capt'n, I just wanna talk about it alone, calmly and…"

"Don't worry, I understand!" The goalkeeper answered cheerfully. "See you later, guys!"

Kidou and Handa headed to the changing rooms.

* * *

"Summon, huh…" Kidou asked, confused and curious at the same time. "Is it because of your new hissatsu, Handa?"

The boy just nodded, somehow ashamed of having to ask for help. Yuuto patted his shoulder lightly a few times.

"It's only natural to not know, don't worry. I wouldn't know either if it wasn't thanks to…"

The boy of the goggles went quiet all of a sudden, provoking a tense silence to appear between the two of them, which Handa tried to break.

"Ah, yeah… S-so, will you help me, Kidou-kun…?"

"Yeah… I mean, yes, of course," he answered, still disconcerted and feeling the black shadow of Kageyama over his shoulders once again. For a while, he couldn't take the memory of such a dark time out of his head.

* * *

"What… what are we doing here…?" Handa queried.

Around him some Raimon players were gathered: on his left were Kidou, Megane and Miyasaka; the last one had joined the team by Kazemaru and Endou's request when Shishido injured himself and only fourteen players remained in the team. On his right Endou and Shadow lined up: the first one was very excited because of the environment, and the second one was as cold as always.

"The Teikoku Gakuen is the best place to practice what you need right now, Handa", Kidou answered.

"But, what's this all about, Kidou-kun…?"

Handa was, by all means, clueless. The only ones who knew something about the subject were Kidou, Endou and Shadow, but none of them was really up for opening the mouth by then. Suddenly, he noticed that Endou's face lit up, while Kidou looked away a little. He looked at the front and he found out the reason of both reactions.

"Yu-san!" Mamoru greeted. Before Handa was the adult version of Yuuto Kidou, who no one but Endou had met yet. The young Kidou, ashamed and somehow confused, looked away, apprehensive, when he found out that person who was in front of him was himself.

Certainly, they all were surprised. Even Kageto seemed to show signs of humanity when he saw the Kidou from ten years in the future. Their captain had talked at great length about it all to all of them, but it was strange to see it with their very own eyes.

"Hello, boys. …Hello, Yuuto," Teikoku's current coach greeted.

"He… hello, Kidou… san," Raimon's strategist replied, clearly nervous and even ill at ease. "Is… everything ready?"

"Yes, you have it all set. Handa, Megane, Miyasaka."

"Y-yeah!" the three above-mentioned replied in unison, equally surprised. By simple reflex action, they all grew very tense and bolted upright; it almost looked like a military scene.

"You will come with me and Miyabino, my Teikoku's goalkeeper. Handa," the coach said, looking straight at the preceding, "I hope this training will help you develop that new hissatsu you were talking about. This is all I can do for you."

"D-don't worry, Kidou-san…! I should be the one thanking you for helping me without asking for anything in exchange…!"

"Well, this is a training for Miyabino as well," the adult answered, patting softly Teikoku's frightened new Cerberus' head, who was hiding behind his coach's back. "Raimon is a strength to bear in mind; it will come in handy for him to face you boys, even if verily he'll be fighting against one of our techniques."

Handa's group looked at the announcer before they looked at each other. They still couldn't understand exactly what all that mess was about.

"What? Have you not told them anything, Endou-kun, Yuuto?" The coach asked, looking black.

"Ah, I had forgotten it!" Raimon's captain remarked, playing the subject down. "Guys, we've brought you here so you can practice the Koutei Penguin!"

* * *

"Koutei Penguin Ni Gou? Don't mind me saying, but, isn't it sort of useless for us to practice that hissatsu? Kidou-kun, Someoka-kun and Gouenji-kun have mastered it already!" Megane inquired, adjusting his glasses.

It's curious how Handa ended up bringing with himself such a mixed bunch as Megane and Miyasaka. When Kidou and Endou told him that they would organize a custom practice to help him, they asked him to look for two mates who would want to train with him. To start with, no one answered his request; everyone knew perfectly how dangerous it could be to be one in the captain's "special trainings". Everyone except the newcomer, of course. Miyasaka, without listening to neither any reasons nor his mates' advice not to do it, rushed headlong to help his new teammate, thrilled before the simple idea of being able to perform more of those unbelievable techniques they all used. On his part, Megane couldn't resist the idea of the limelight he would gain if thanks to him they could score "the goal of the victory" in a match, so, plucking up all of his courage, he overcame his fears and decided to give Shinichi a helping hand.

"You're right, Megane. We already count on a Koutei Penguin Ni Gou in the team," the young Yuuto affirmed. "Even though, there's 'another' Koutei Penguin that Raimon doesn't know how to put into effect… yet."

Jirou Sakuma and Akio Fudou attended in that moment.

"Tsk, what a drag. I don't know why we've to help these useless guys master a hissatsu they'll later on be able to use against us. What are we, dorks?"

"Don't be so nasty, Fudou. It's just a favor for Handa."

"As if that'd change anything, Sakuma. Can't you see the FF's about to start and the Koutei Penguin that 'WE' created is almost impossible to stop for Genda?"

"It's a matter of civism and friendship. Don't you want to help an old friend, you knucklehead?"

The rest of the present let the two stars of Teikoku continue their stupid discussion and they went into more important subjects.

"Are you telling me that I… u-us… will have to…?" Handa stuttered.

"That's correct. The idea is you to master the Koutei Penguin San Gou."

"B-but wouldn't it be better if you leaded the hissatsu, Kidou-kun…? After all it's yours, and it'd probably be stronger that way…"

The Kidou he knew better shook his head.

"It's not a matter of strength, Handa. The plan is you to master the hissatsu so that you learn how to summon, that's all. And if the level of the team can improve as well, so much the better."

Miyasaka was so greatly excited even if he only understood half of it all. Megane was both frightened and impatient to start scoring goals. Handa, on his part… you could say he was trembling more than a leaf trapped in a hot draught.

* * *

The Teikoku Gakuen split in three groups. The first one, leaded by coach Kidou, would take care of Handa. The second one, who counted with Sakuma-kantoku in front, would train regularly with both present time's and future time's players. But, what about the last group?

"Start warming up, Genda! We'll soon make you face a challenge abreast of you!" Endou exclaimed, firing with enthusiasm.

"You'd better. If I am bored, you'll pay the consequences," Genda said with a defiant smile on his face.

"Are you ready, Shadow? It's time for us to coordinate!"

"Yes, captain. But we must wait until she arrives."

"Don't worry! Look, there she is!"

Mamoru pointed at the entrance of the stadium. The silhouette of Hitomiko Kira, who during the war against the Aliea Gakuen was Raimon's coach, could be easily glimpsed.

"Hitomiko-kantoku!" Endou greeted effusively.

"Hello, boys. Long time no see. Hello, Genda."

"Good morning, Hitomiko-kantoku!" Genda said with a reverence. The coarseness with which Kira always earn respect was patent, and she basically had tamed even Neo Japan. Kidou and Shadow greeted her as well in the same way, but in a much demurred way.

"So what you want is to practice Death Zone 2, right?"

They all nodded. Endou and Kidou already knew how to use it together, and even if Shadow knew the theory and had performed the technique before, he had never done so with Raimon; it's a must to bear in mind that, after all, he was still pretty new in the team.

"Okay, boys. Get ready," Hitomiko ordered.

* * *

To say that Handa didn't know where to start from is underestimating it a lot. He was literally frozen.

"Err, Kidou-ku- uh?"

It had been long since the young Yuuto had gone with Hitomiko's group, but Shinichi was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized.

"You halfwit, be more attentive!" Fudou sprang on him drily.

"Just shut up, you mama's boy!" Sakuma shouted at him, irritated because of Fudou's bad attitude towards Handa.

"Mind your own business!"

Sakuma and Fudou came to blows. Kidou-kantoku limited himself to let the pair do as they pleased; he knew better than anyone that arguments between them were constant and unavoidable.

"Alright, boys. Koutei Penguin San Gou is a technique which combines another two: Death Zone and Koutei Penguin Ni Gou. But seeing as we do not have time to work on the base, we will aim straight for the final result. I know at first hand that you have the ability that is needed to master it, so do not worry."

Handa, Miyasaka and Megane nodded. Kidou clicked his fingers and, at once, Sakuma and Fudou stopped fighting in order to get together with him. An opportunely nearby ball did it for the trio to perform a perfect ultimate Koutei Penguin, much stronger than anyone they had ever seen before due to the adult Kidou's participation, whose strength was stirring.

Shinichi, Ryou and Kakeru were mesmerized. What power! What proficiency! What… horribly difficult to perform that technique was!

"Will we really be able to do that ourselves…?" Handa asked, distrustful. Fudou and Sakuma didn't take long to start walloping each other again.

"I am certain. If you work hard enough, at least."

The three of them concurred, though some of them with a bigger enthusiasm than others, let's make clear.

"Alright, Handa. Try to call the penguin with a whistle; that's the lure we always use."

Handa put two fingers inside of his mouth. He placed his tongue over them. He blew.

The only sound he produced was a mixture between a raspberry and a snort.

Kidou frowned as he massaged the space between his eyebrows lightly.

…_It is going to be a really long day._

* * *

"Death Zone… 2!" Shadow, Kidou and Endou shouted in unison as they kicked. The shot looked correct, but Genda could easily clear it with his Full Power Shield.

"Uhm. I'm sorry, captain."

"Curse it."

"We were almost there!"

What might have failed?

"But what kind of disastrous coordination was that?" Coach Hitomiko shouted. What in anyone's eyes could have seemed like a perfect shot was not perfect at all for her, since she owned a superlative vision of the field and the movements. Her adeptness to analyze in a flash a foe team's 'modus operandi', along with her pinpoint analysis of the movement of each and every of the players, made an extraordinary coach out of her. "Shadow, you've turned round almost half a revolution more than your teammates, you haven't even started spinning at the same time! Dear God, how green you are."

The three of them lowered their heads, disappointed.

"What are you doing, standing around? Quick, one more time! Prepare yourself, Genda! And you guys, if I see you making such a rumpus again I'll send you to clean the whole Ohisama-En, see If you buck up and get some team spirit!"

'Death Zone 2…!'

* * *

"Let's see… Place the index finger and thumb together, between the front teeth. Press with your tongue, that is right. Wrinkle your lips, but oh dear, do not close the whole mouth, Handa!"

Shinichi was getting more and more nervous. His partners had made a circle around him, practically hampering him from breathing while Yu-san gave him indications about how to whistle. They had been there for more than an hour already.

"No, no, no, you must open more of your mouth."

"What'd you say? The secret's in the tongue!"

"What if you try moving your fingers?"

Each one was giving his opinion, and none seemed to be the key to success despite the inhuman efforts Handa was doing to produce a sound that wouldn't sound like a flatulence.

"Tsk. What a useless guy, he can't even whistle and pretends to summon! For failures I've enough with this bunch of idiots I call 'team'. Oh, but of course, they ALREADY KNOW how to do this. I think we've found in Handa a new level of ineptitude never seen before. Congrats."

Akio's sarcastic and wounding comment keenly irritated the midfielder, who relaxed his mouth unconsciously and snorted. Miraculously, he produced a sound that, although wasn't exactly a whistle, was certainly a very good start. The whole group was surprised, since most of them already thought he would never manage to do it.

"Wonderful, Handa-kun! You almost have it!" Megane cheered.

"Han-Da, Han-Da!" Miyasaka acclaimed.

Nevertheless, it was Miyabino, who still haven't said a single word, the first one who realized about Shinichi's biggest progress.

"Hey, guys, check this out…"

* * *

"Full Power Shield, V2!"

Genda's efforts were, finally, inefficient; the shoot supertechnique that Endou, Shadow and Kidou were practicing finally broke through the defense the goalkeeper had built.

"Good job, guys!" Genda exclaimed. "That was way better already!"

"Good job? It's not even half as strong as it could be!" The coach complained. "Shadow, being a forward as he is, gives you a lot more power than the one Domon used to give you; I won't let you move away from here until you don't reach the level you should have! Genda, go and call two teammates; we won't go anywhere until they don't break through Mugen no Kabe!"

The four players started having daytime nightmares about the soreness that would be waiting for them the day after.

* * *

_**Wow… It's even worse than I remembered X'D Let's abbreviate! Handa asks Kidou for help so he teaches him how to summon, since he's an expert in the subject thanks to his Koutei Penguin. In order to help him, he takes him and a select group of Raimon players to the Teikoku Gakuen, since it's the best place where to learn about that kind of stuff. While Handa, Miyasaka and Megane focus on mastering Koutei Penguin San Gou, Endou, Kidou and Shadow try to get back the Death Zone 2 they lost when Domon went to America. This second group has almost reached its goal, but Handa's still quite stuck in the place.**_

_**Nonetheless, what's that "progress" Miyabino talks about? Will Handa be able t**__**o master Teikoku's flag-hissatsu? And what do Megane and Miyasaka have to do in all this? All of this, in the following chapters!**_


	3. Koutei

…_**Happy New Year, I guess! :D**_

_**This is, at the same time, the first chapter I've translated in 2013 and the last one I translated in 2012. Why? Because I've finished translating it in 2013 but I actually started in 2012 (and these lines here, just as the ones at the end of the chapter, have been written in 2013). That means I've taken two years to translate this shitty chapter. HAHAHAHAHAHA, lame joke. You'll get punished if you dare laugh at it.**_

_**First of all, many, MANY thanks to Heather, who checked this chapter for me again and again and supported me as I struggled to make it sound as good as possible. Also, if the new character has a London Cockney accent (which I totally love), it's all thanks to her. XD Thank you, dearest!**_

_**Besides that, this chapter's dedicated to two people. The first one is the only person who had honoured me with a review by the time I finished translating this chapter (even if it's quite short, I greatly appreciate it): my dear kouhai, Rae (RaiRaeKen). She's such a lovely and talented little girl who deserves a lot of love and readers. I'd want to mention her sister Yuki (Utapyon), too, since she keeps apologizing for being a bad roleplay partner when she's in fact one of the bests I have ever had. She has inspired me thousands of times, and I couldn't be more grateful because of it. The second person is Py-Cries, whose work I really admire and enjoy and who graced me with a review while this chapter was being corrected. Thanks to you both!**_

_**And that's pretty much it, so I'll close my big mouth and simply refer you to the chapter, which will offer you some sort of… moderate (more like low-ish) excitement. Enjoy it!**_

* * *

Everyone's attention turned to the place where Miyabino had pointed.

"Whatcha' lookin' at, yer dimwits?"

For some's surprise and some others' disappointment, a green-coloured penguin had emerged from the ground and was standing in the place, staring at the group with its flippers folded. Handa couldn't believe it; _he_ had managed to make a penguin appear. He had finally summoned an animal, which brought him a step closer to creating his new hissatsu technique. Nevertheless, he started worrying as soon as he looked at the adult Kidou, who closed his eyes and snorted.

"…Well, it's a start."

Handa's fragile spirits crumbled again. What was wrong? Hadn't he done it right? What had failed? And how could he fix it? All these questions crossed his head like lightning, but the only thing that came out of his mouth were some pitiful babblings. Luckily enough, Megane was very curious and he took the initiative.

"Hasn't he done it properly?" Raimon's winning 'ace striker' asked.

"It is not that you have not done it properly, Handa…" The adult said, placing a hand in Handa's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "It is simply that… perhaps it would be better for you guys to explain it to him. Sakuma?"

"Yes, sousui!" Sakuma said, diligent.

"…Suck-up."

"I told you to close your trap, Fudou; let me talk once and for all! Tsk…" Sakuma gazed at Handa. "You see. Here in Teikoku we have managed to summon seven different kinds of penguins: the green ones, the orange ones, the yellow ones, the cerulean ones, the red ones, the indigo ones and the violet ones. As you already know, the reds are the ones we used for Koutei Penguin Ichi Gou, which are fairly aggressive but really strong; the indigo ones are used for Koutei Penguin Ni Gou since they are more docile and easy to control, and the violets are the ones we are trying to summon now, which are necessary to use Koutei Penguin San Gou; in other words, the ultimate penguins, seeing as they are strong, obedient and perfect to be used for advanced techniques."

"And… the green ones? What do you use them for?" Handa asked.

"For… nothing, really. Up to the red ones, the rest are useless."

"Who ya callin' useless, you patch-wearing freak?" The penguin answered back. "The problem's yer don't know how to use us properly 'cause yer a bunch of idiots!"

"You don't have the strength to be used alone in any sort of shoot hissatsu."

"Yet ya call us for yer Koutei Penguin 7, yer moron."

"Yes, along with the other six types."

"Ya can get by without us, then! I'm still wonderin' wha tha Hell ya've called me fer now…"

Handa raised his hand timidly.

"E-excuse me, mister penguin… I was trying to summon violet penguins for Koutei Penguin San Gou, but it hasn't come out very well…"

The face of the penguin turned into an expression of annoyance and even repugnancy.

"…Who's this bloodless dolt?"

"S-shinichi Handa! I-I'm really sorry…"

"Yer even worse than these," the animal snorted. "And ya hope to control a penguin squad with that attitude? Don't make me laugh; we've got our pride, ya know! We'd never let a feeble like ya boss us 'round!"

The young midfielder got totally dejected.

* * *

"Once again, come on! I don't want to see you lazing around!"

Raimon's three players took their positions again to fire another Death Zone 2.

"Oono, Kennya! Get ready!"

"Yes, Genda!" They both said in unison, placing themselves at both sides of the goal. They raised their arms in the air while, impassive and with his arms folded, Genda felt a gigantic rock wall appearing behind his back.

"Shin! Mugen no Kabe!"

The ball clashed strongly against the rocky barrier but, once again, it was no use. The technique was too powerful to be surpassed with an incomplete hissatsu like that. And, even if they could master it, the foe hissatsu had already reached the limit of its power, while theirs was still so green. It used to take weeks, sometimes months, to evolve a hissatsu to its next level; it was impossible for them to break that wall in a single day. Or that's what they thought, at least.

"Hitomiko-kantoku, I don't think we can do it…" The young Kidou said, exhausted. The coach just frowned.

"And this is the Raimon that never gives up? Come on! I thought you were a little more daring! How disappointing."

Endou stood watching his mate for a few seconds before talking.

"Come on, Yuuti. The worst we can do is lose heart! Trust coach, she knows what she's doing!"

"…You're right, Endou. Come on, let's keep on trying."

"Yes, captain. Let's go," Shadow said quietly.

"Wait a second, guys. I've just come up with something…"

The three of them gathered together while Endou explained them his plan.

* * *

"Come on, Handa-kun, get out of there."

Raimon's midfielder was sitting on a corner, facing the wall, absolutely depressed.

"That penguin doesn't know what he's saying," Megane continued. "Don't you think that, if he knew you couldn't do it, Kidou-san wouldn't even have taken the trouble to try to help you?"

"That's it, that's it!" Miyasaka said vigorously. "Also, you have come so far already: you have finally summoned a penguin! Although it's a nasty piece of work. But if you manage to control him, you'll be able to control all the others!"

Shinichi finally gave a sign that he was alive: he turned his head and stared at his mates.

"…Do you really think so? I dunno if I'll be able to do it…"

Megane adjusted his glasses, which shined brightly for a second.

"Think about it, Handa-kun. No one has ever been able to make use of those penguins. It's your chance to show your talent to the world!"

"Yeah, you will surely manage to make good use of Koutei!"

"…Who's Koutei?" Handa asked, as disconcerted as usual.

"That's how I called the green penguin! Now run; if you take too long, he'll go again!"

Still apprehensive, Handa stood up again as he followed Miyasaka with his eyes, who broke into a run and moved away from there. Megane leaned on Handa and sighed deeply.

"See, Handa-kun? That's what happens when you let a _kid_ do the work of a _professional_. 'Koutei'… Hah! So lame!"

"How'd you've called it, Megane-kun…?"

Megane blinked a few times and quickly averted his gaze to the opposite direction.

"…W-who cares anymore, anyway? But I'm sure I could have come up with something much better!"

Handa let out a light guffaw before breathing deeply and going out to meet the penguin.

* * *

"Look what you have done. Do you enjoy saying such things to someone you do not even know?" The adult Kidou scolded.

"Bah. He's useless without a backbone; he so is an' that's that."

"That 'useless without a backbone' might want to give you the recognition you deserve. He might be the only one in here who is actually willing to do it."

The penguin stood watching the coach, curious.

"Handa has been fighting hard to become a great soccer player," Kidou went on, "and if someone can use you properly, that is him. He may not have much Teikoku spirit, but he definitely has great game vision. Maybe not being as obstinate as us with the attack will help him hit on an idea."

"Tsk, okay, fine!" The penguin sighed after a pause. "I'll give him a chance. But I'm outta 'ere if I see he ain't worth it!"

"…I'll try my best, Koutei-san."

Handa, who had just come to the penguin's and the other Teikoku members' encounter, had listened to the whole conversation. His look, more confident than before after knowing of the support his ex-teammate was offering him, gave the aquatic bird some hopes. It folded its flippers before talking.

"I won't go easy on ya, punk."

"…I wouldn't want it any other way."

Kidou nodded, smiling a little.

"Sakuma, Fudou; take charge of Megane and Miyasaka. I will train with these two."

"What? Do I have to take care of the four-eyes and the girly-boy blondie?"

"No complaining, Fudou."

"…You owe me a really big one, Kidou," Fudou growled.

The adult Kidou took the penguin and Handa out of there, still looking back from time to time, worried about what Fudou could do.

* * *

"It's a quite strange idea, captain," Shadow said with his always impassive voice.

"But it makes sense per se. In fact, that's how we first created Death Zone 2."

"Then quit doubting and let's give it a try!"

The three of them stood up again and looked at the front. Their determined gazes made Hitomiko smile.

"Come on, guys; this time is the definitive!"

The ball shot out upwards at the same time as the boys jumped. This time, nonetheless, coordination between them wasn't the predominating factor; instead, they let their own impulses guide them. The will to improve, to achieve a common goal; all their individual efforts were giving birth to the strongest Death Zone 2 of them all. The triangle formed by the three boys sparkled more than ever before, even though each one kept his own time, speed and style. And, eventually, all being one, they broke up their deathly formation, jumping even higher and kicking the ball all at once from above. An enormous dark sphere was generated after that collision.

That was not a hissatsu in which its users would have to restrain themselves or act like their teammates. Their individual strengths and styles were what fed that strange evolution of Teikoku's original Death Zone; that was something that they had forgotten with time. But, when they all understood that that was what the technique was lacking to excel itself, they shouted triumphantly:

"Death Zone 2… G2!"

The glow of the ball was even bigger than the goal or the wall made by Genda, Oono and Kennya. It wasn't easy but, finally, the ball broke through Mugen no Kabe and pierced the goal strongly, leaving the goalkeeper and the defenders lying on the floor, totally beaten.

"Well done, guys. You've finally understood it," Kira celebrated with a smile on her lips.

"It was all thanks to your support, Hitomiko-kantoku!" Mamoru answered cheerfully.

"Thank you, coach," Kidou and Yamino said at once.

"Not at all. It's my job, after all. Genda, Kennya, Oono!"

"Yes, coach!" The aforementioned shouted, standing very straight and almost in a military position.

"Good work on your part too."

"Thank you so much for the flattery, Kira-kantoku!"

Kidou and Endou couldn't stop getting surprised every time they saw how perfectly controlled their former coach had Neo Japan's players and, hence, Teikoku's as well. Shadow wouldn't get surprised. Never. Ever. Or so it seemed, at least.

"Come on, head to the showers; you stink like wild baboons," the talented tamer ordered, laughing softly. Her pupils would have laughed too if it weren't because they were too surprised by the fact that the always cold Hitomiko Kira had made a joke.

* * *

Handa finished scribbling on the paper.

"I must admit I like tha idea, punk."

"I would have never thought of it that way, Handa. You have pleasantly surprised me."

Handa flushed and laughed nervously; he wouldn't be congratulated like that every day.

"Are you really okay with it, Koutei-san…?"

"Yeah, sure. It's at least a better use than wha this bunch asks of me."

"Are you ready to give it a try?" The coach asked.

"What? So soon…?"

"Let's go for it, I can't wait to put it into practice! An', by da way…"

Without saying a word, the penguin placed one of its wings in Handa's mouth; the boy, although incredibly surprised and even scared, let the bird do as it pleased.

"Keep calm, punk! Feel a pro's flipper in yer mouth," the penguin calmed down, moving its flipper around until it finally placed it properly in Shinichi's mouth. "Can ya feel how's it settled?"

The disconcerted midfielder nodded lightly. Kidou didn't know either what the Hell that silly emerald bird was doing.

"Blow now. Let's see what happens."

Handa obeyed, and a sweet whistle came out of his lips. The penguin frowned, telling him with its gaze to put it forward. Finally, Shinichi whistled strongly, just how Kidou, Sakuma or Fudou would do, and felt how, under his feet, the ground shook lightly. At the time, a squad of portentous violet penguins emerged from the ground, taking up a stance in front of the boy.

"Have you called us, sir?"

The boy opened his eyes wide and nodded vigorously as Koutei withdrew its wing from Handa's mouth.

"It… it was me, right? Was my whistle what summoned them?" Handa asked, still fearful that the answer would be 'no'.

"That's it, punk. A token of me gratitude fer… uh, trustin' me. Yeah…"

Raimon's player, moved, couldn't help hugging the green penguin and, next, the adult Kidou. His eyes were equally filled with tears and gratitude.

"Let's get down to work, Handa!" Kidou said in high spirits.

"Y-yeah!"

Shinichi, Koutei, the violet penguins and Kidou jumped into the field, leaving behind the papers where Handa had drawn. They didn't need them anymore; the boy had the idea perfectly etched in his memory. Among that muddle of lines, doodles and hideously drawn penguins, a sentence could be partly identified. The name of the hissatsu Handa was about to create.

'Koutei Penguin…'

* * *

Fudou whistled unwillingly, but his experience allowed him to call violet penguins even like that. Sakuma and Miyabino were looking from the distance as they weren't able to do the same. They had decided to keep themselves out until Raimon players could shoot, be Fudou's methods whatever they were to make them achieve that goal.

"Four-eyes, blondie, c'mon; I'll teach you how it's done."

"Fudou-kun, you should be more respectful to us!" Megane argued.

"I'm in charge here, so if you don't like my methods, you can get lost and abandon that bore of a chum of yours."

Both Megane and Miyasaka averted their gazes, anxious; Fudou scared them, but they had promised to help Handa and, after all that he had already achieved, they didn't want to let him down. Miyasaka was the first to decide to talk.

"Okay! I'm willing to do whatever it takes, Fudou-san!"

"Me… me too! We're at your command!"

The bad-tempered former captain of Shin Teikoku smiled an evil smirk.

"Alright. Koutei Penguin San Gou's generally a hissatsu performed by two midfielders and a forward. But, seeing how the blondie looks like, I'd say he's a defender."

Fudou hit the nail on the head. Miyasaka felt bad for not playing a more proper role for the hissatsu, but he chose his position to be able to be like his senpai, Ichirouta Kazemaru.

"Moreover," he continued, "as every combination hissatsu, it unites the strength of the ones who put it into effect. And the four-eyes seems pretty weak to me."

Megane tried to seem offended. His eyes queried that how he dare tell Raimon's ace player so. But, deep inside, he knew he was completely right. He was a forward only technically and out of simple pig-headedness, but he would rarely play in that position. And that only when he played at all; if not because Raimon was a team where team spirit predominated, Megane would have been nothing but a benchwarmer.

"But…" Fudou ended, "I guess something can be done. Penguins, get ready! And you two, keep up with my moves if you can!"

They all rose in the air, but despite Fudou's and the penguins' help, it was a shambles. Miyasaka couldn't stay in the air, and Megane's final heel kick, besides weak, barely brushed the ball. The sphere didn't even aim at the goal, but it fell to the floor like a piece of lead.

"Pathetic," Fudou growled.

Megane, hurt, stood up.

"O… once again! Let's go, Miyasaka-kun!"

"Y-yes, Megane!"

Fudou folded his arms and smiled slightly. Those idiots, although they didn't have strength or talent, had at least some guts. Carefully thought, though, the original Koutei Penguin San Gou was already performed by a talentless and gutless idiot and would still come out quite nicely. Fudou directed a grim gaze toward Sakuma, who was slightly disconcerted but, anyway, retorted it frowning, angry although he didn't even know why.

_Their affair might even work out well… What am I saying; they better work it out well. I don't want to lose my precious time for nothing._

"Tsk."

As usual, nonsense.

* * *

_**It's over! Let's revise: Handa manages to summon a penguin, but it does nothing but demoralize him. Eventually, though, he sets his mind up that he will make use of it, since Teikoku doesn't use its species. So, Handa, along with adult Kidou, creates a hissatsu specially made for green penguins, and Koutei, grateful, teaches him how to whistle properly to make violet penguins appear, the ones he needs to finally master Koutei Penguin San Gou. For their part, Megane and Miyasaka begin their training to master the aforementioned technique, and the group formed by Endou, Kidou and Shadow, headed by Hitomiko Kira, their former coach, manages to finally complete Death Zone 2 and even evolve it.**_

_**What kind of hissatsu has Handa created? Will Megane, Miyasaka and he master the powerful Koutei Penguin San Gou? And what's waiting for him at Raimon? You'll find the answer to these questions both in my brain and in following chapters! Until then, be nice~!**_


End file.
